Damien O'Connor, New Zealands Minister of Tourism
In reply to us 4 Dec 2007
Pure New Zealand ?
Recently John Key our Prime Minister was again promoting our clean, green pure New Zealand image on TV. That is disturbing. Claims made by those promoting "100% Pure" New Zealand are very concerning to us. We love New Zealand, its forest, mountains, lakes and rivers.
Unpure NZ is located on the West Coast of the South Island. It is very beautiful indeed here but the Coast and a lot of New Zealand is rapidly becoming very "Unpure" indeed. This is one of the remotest parts of New Zealand. if any place in New Zealand was to be 100 per cent "Pure" in this country it would surely be here. Right? Wrong. Our environment in New Zealand is a real mess. It needs the utmost urgent attention of our Government and local authorities right now. Can it be saved?
Mining and Exploration in New Zealands stunning National Parks to be permitted?
Tim Groser New Zealands Minister of Conservation was recently put on the spot over the Governments review of the Conservation Act. The NZ government is considering allowing mining in our National Parks. Public comments from New Zealands Government indicate that this is very likely going to happen and soon! Mr Groser claimed he could not say that the jewel in the crown of New Zealand tourism Milford Sound would not be made available for mining. So much for Pure New Zealand! - So much for conservation. Prime Minister John Key recently announced that mining/exploitation would all be carried with modern methods that are capable of "surgical incision " A bit like this "modern" oil rig eh Mr Key?
Scenic Highways strewn with rubbish
Driving through a scenic wonderland or a rubbish dump? One has to wonder. In recent years the roads in the so called clean, green and 100% pure New Zealand have become a convenient way for uncaring motorists to dispose of those plastic drinking bottles, take away food packaging's, water bottles, and take away coffee containers. Yes, just chuck it out the window! On this wonderful drive on scenic State Highway 73 from the West Coast of New Zealand through Arthurs Pass and to Canterbury you fill find hundreds of tons of this waste roadside spoiling this place. There are only rubbish bins in the few villages that are along the way. There are none elsewhere along the highways. This is now a very serious problem in New Zealand that no authority is much interested in hearing of it let alone doing anything about it. So much for Clean, green and 100% Pure New Zealand
